West Ham couldn’t match Arsenal’s 11 changes for this EFL Cup tie, but manager David Moyes made six and would have gone higher if he had been able to.
The Premier League is the only thing that matters these days — and anyone who thinks differently is naive.
Even before this dreadful match, Moyes had been further hamstrung by the decision of the FA to uphold Manuel Lanzini’s two-match ban for alleged simulation but, in truth, it is unlikely the Argentine would have started last night.
The League Cup was always third in the pecking order of domestic trophies. That is still the case, but the competition has been pushed even further to the margins.
The West Ham fans who turned up in their numbers at the Emirates last night were justifiably expecting their improved team would muster more than one shot (an Aaron Cresswell free-kick) during the entire game. Arsenal, despite their possession, were not much better.
The Hammers will shed few tears as they concentrate on climbing away from the Premier League drop-zone, while Arsenal will contemplate an even bigger fixture list.
Already without the influential Lanzini, Moyes further diluted his team by leaving the in-form Marko Arnautovic on the bench and Michail Antonio out of the squad completely.
With a vital game against Newcastle coming up on Saturday, you could not blame him for that and it gave the Scot an opportunity to have a look at Portuguese teenage midfielder Domingos Quina, who joined from Chelsea last year. Understandably, he took time to settle but grew into the game, while Declan Rice, another former Blues youngster, again underlined his potential with another mature display in midfield.
Rice’s preferred position is at the heart of the defence but the way he applies himself to any task emphasises both his adaptability and his concentration.
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Hammers veteran Winston Reid said: “The positives were that we limited Arsenal’s chances and carried on what we’ve been doing well, trying to make it difficult. The negatives were that we need to be better with the ball and give it to each other in better situations.
“I thought Domingos did really well on his debut. We have some injuries, but wherever we’re asked to play, we just need to do a job. We wanted to do well but the priority is the Premier League and we need to get up the table. We have some important matches coming up before the New Year and we need to focus on massive games against Newcastle and then Bournemouth.”
Joe Hart, back in goal, could do little about Danny Welbeck’s winner but will find himself back on the bench as understudy to Adrian against Newcastle on Saturday.
A disappointed Moyes said: “We were always in the game but I was disappointed with the quality of our play.
“But we’ve conceded just one goal in two games against Arsenal. If you had said that on the day I came into the club, I might have taken that.”
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